Teaching Tips

Video and accompanying essay and discussion questions could be used in a single class period overview of the impacts of rising Arctic temperatures.

Very general resource but could be used to demonstrate the impact on indigenous cultures.

About the Science

Shows the current impacts of thawing permafrost on buildings and roads, lakes, riverbanks, and some wildlife including fish. For the most part, the information provided is anecdotal rather than based on comprehensive scientific studies. It does not discuss the science of climate change or permafrost thawing.

Video and accompanying background essay use the terms "thawing" and "melting" interchangeably. "Thawing" is the correct term for the temperature-induced change in permafrost.

Comments from expert scientist: I liked how people living in the changing permafrost environment were interviewed. This "first-hand", applied, observational perspective coupled nicely with the scientific explanation provided. As a stand alone module, a bit of background regarding why permafrost is there and the link between fossil fuel combustion and climate warming would be useful.

About the Pedagogy

Consists of a set of loosely-related interviews of Alaskan residents describing the impacts they see from rising Arctic temperatures.

Background essay and discussion questions provided.

An entire lesson plan - The Effects of Global Warming in Alaska can be accessed as well.

Next Generation Science Standards
See how this
Video supports:

Middle School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 5

MS-ESS2.C1:Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation and crystallization, and precipitation, as well as downhill flows on land.

MS-ESS2.C5:Water’s movements—both on the land and underground—cause weathering and erosion, which change the land’s surface features and create underground formations.

MS-ESS2.D1:Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.

MS-ESS3.D1:Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities.

MS-PS4.B1:When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object, depending on the object’s material and the frequency (color) of the light.

High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 4

HS-ESS2.A1:Earth’s systems, being dynamic and interacting, cause feedback effects that can increase or decrease the original changes.

HS-ESS2.C1:The abundance of liquid water on Earth’s surface and its unique combination of physical and chemical properties are central to the planet’s dynamics. These properties include water’s exceptional capacity to absorb, store, and release large amounts of energy, transmit sunlight, expand upon freezing, dissolve and transport materials, and lower the viscosities and melting points of rocks.

HS-ESS2.D1:The foundation for Earth’s global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space.

HS-ESS3.D1:Though the magnitudes of human impacts are greater than they have ever been, so too are human abilities to model, predict, and manage current and future impacts.